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HS2 reveals shortlist for £2.75bn train contract

HS2 has unveiled the list of manufacturers who are competing for a £2.75bn contract to construct new state-of-the-art trains.

The shortlist of rolling stock manufacturers include Alstom Transport; Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi Rail Europe, Talgo S.L.U and Siemens. The new trains will travel at speeds of up to 225mph and carry tens of thousands of people everyday across the high-speed network. They are expected to come into service from 2026. HS2 claim the fleet of 54 high-speed trains will deliver “unparalleled” levels of reliability and comfort.

The five bidders will be invited to tender in spring 2018 for the contracts with the eventual successful manufacturer announced in 2019. The trains will be expected to meet HS2’s design and performance needs and serve destinations across the UK including York, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The successful bidder will maintain the fleet from a depot in Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

Chris Rayner, HS2 managing director of Railway Operations, said: “It’s great to see such a strong line up of experienced high-tech manufacturing and design talent. Together with the successful bidder, HS2will deliver some of the world’s most advanced rolling stock, engineered to provide seamless, accessible, fast and reliable journeys. Starting from 2026, our trains will be used by tens of thousands of people every day, transforming links across the Midlands and the North and providing much-needed extra capacity between Britain’s major cities.”

HS2 minister Paul Maynard said: “HS2 will see some of the world’s fastest trains connecting our great cities across the north and Midlands, creating an economy that works for everyone. But announcements like this show how the benefits of HS2 will resonate far beyond the opening of the new railway – HS2’s legacy of jobs and skills is already being created.”